Scots woman wins Countdown - and becomes first female champ in 26 years

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A forensic accountant is the first woman to become Countdown champion in 26 years. The long-running numbers and words game show, which has been on Channel 4 since 1982 when the broadcaster launched, has not had a female champion since 1998.The match between Fiona Wood, from Kinross, and Chris Kirby went right down to the wire, but the accountant prevailed by getting the final conundrum: lassitude, meaning a state of physical or mental weariness.Fiona, 50, said: "I decided to apply after (host) Colin (Murray) appealed for older contestants with (lexicographer) Susie (Dent) adding that they wanted more women.

I have absolutely no regrets about applying and would encourage other women to give it a go."Following appeals from Murray and Dent along with mathematician Rachel Riley, applications from women have soared, Channel 4, said with insiders hoping more applications will follow on from Ms Wood's win."Fiona delighted us all and gave us one of the very best moments in our 42-year history," Dent, who has appeared in the "dictionary corner" since 1992, said. "This series also reminded us how much Countdown is a show for everyone, and we would encourage anyone who loves the game to apply via countdown channel4.com."During the episode, Mr Kirby was let down when when he tried to get an eight-letter word score with “promotee”, over Ms Wood’s “promote”, but was told the result was not in the dictionary.Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.All you have to do is click here if you're on